Cancer Treatment - Organ Specific Cancer Treatments

Organ specific cancer treatments

Certain advanced cancer hospitals manage cancer in an organ specific way, and accordingly oncologists are reserved for treating cancers affecting specific organs only. Accordingly, oncologists have successfully treated breast cancer, head and neck cancer, gynecological cancer, orthopedic cancer, lung cancer, neuro cancer, and liver cancer.

Understanding each organ specific cancer and the treatment available for it

Breast Cancer

It is the commonest of cancers affecting women, and it is believed to be the cancer that has caused the most mortality among women next to lung cancer. The mortality has been the highest among women whose ages were between 45 and 55. Breast cancer is curable if it is diagnosed at an early stage, and if the necessary treatments are carried out immediately following its detection. Breast cancer is growth of breast cells in an uncontrolled manner.

Breast cancer diagnosis

Abnormal presence of a lump

This diagnosis can be carried out by the patient, and the doctor too looks for the presence of abnormally looking lumps through physical breast examinations. Other than a lump, the changes in the breast that doctors look forward to finding is skin dimpling, unusual changes in the size, and or shape of the breast, pulled in nipples as against it being pointed outward when normal, and discoloration of the breast's skin.

Mammography

Radiologists use mammograms to seek out abnormalities in the breasts. Mammograms are x-ray photographs of the breast that are usually taken by keeping the breasts in a compressed position.

Ultrasound imaging of breasts

Ultrasound imaging is used to examine the breasts, and this technique of using sound waves helps in distinguishing whether a lump that has been noticed in a breast is either a cyst filled with fluid, or a solid one.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI

The MRI of a breast is taken using a strong magnetic field. MRI of the breast becomes necessary in certain situations to properly diagnose breast cancer.

Biopsy

The biopsy of the breast becomes necessary when the oncologist has a strong suspicion of cancer being present. A core needle biopsy is performed on the suspect area of the breast to either confirm the disease, or rule it out.

The benefit of early breast cancer detection

Detection of breast cancer can be made at an early stage through screening. Screening refers to the various tests and examinations that are carried out on the breasts of a person to detect the disease at the earliest, even before the actual symptoms of the disease starts to show. Usually breast cancers that can be felt and detected are cancers that have grown larger in size and that which in usual cases has spread to regions outside the breast. The treatment in such cases is very complex. Breast cancers can be treated successfully if it is detected very early, and before the actual cancer symptoms starts to show.

Breast cancer treatment

Breast cancer is treated either through local treatment or systemic treatment.

Local treatment of breast cancer involves removal, destruction, or controlling the growth of cancerous cells in the breast. Local treatment by surgery is also known by the names mastectomy, and it is also referred to as lumpectomy. This is a breast preserving therapy. The other local treatment is the use of radiation therapy. Radiation therapy involves use of a high energy radiation beam to destroy the cancer cells. Advanced equipment like LINAC helps in focusing the radiation beam on to the cancer cells, and minimizes, or avoids causing damage to the surrounding healthy cells.

Systemic treatment becomes necessary if the breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body. This treatment is therefore used to control and destroy cancer cells across the body. The various therapies that are used in this treatment include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and biological therapy.

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill or control cancer cells. Hormone therapy involves use of certain drugs that inhibit production of certain hormones in the body, like estrogen, which can aid in the revival of cancerous breast cells that manage to remain in the body post the surgery of the breast. Biological therapy involves use of the body's immune system in fighting and destroying cancerous cells.

Thus cancer hospitals that offer breast cancer treatments are equipped with a robust team of breast surgeons, plastic surgeons, medical oncologists and other associated staff, they have with them advanced machinery for diagnosis and treatment, and they also have the facilities of advanced ICUs for apt patient management and recovery.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is associated with uncontrolled growth of cells in either one, or both of the lungs. These cells do not develop into healthy lung tissue, but rather becomes abnormal cells which further continue to divide forming lumps of tissues which are identified as tumors.

Diagnosis

The symptom that is commonly associated with lung cancer is shortness of breath and presence of wheezing. Certain other symptoms like chest pain, fatigue, appetite loss, presence of blood in the sputum while coughing, persistent cough, unanticipated loss of weight, and coughing out blood, are also associated with lung cancer. Presence of these symptoms together with reports from many other procedures will be used by physicians in diagnosing the presence or absence of lung cancer. Imaging techniques like X-Rays of chest, bronchoscopy, MRI, CT, and PET scans, are also used to diagnose lung cancer. Further, the patient is also subject to a physical examination by the physician, and an analysis of the patient's sputum is also made. All these examinations and procedures will reveal the presence of lung cancer, and also the location of the tumor, and also information about the presence or absence of the disease anywhere else in the body.

Lung cancer treatment

There are many factors which influence lung cancer treatment, and the factors on which lung cancer treatment is dependent on includes, the type of the cancer, the stage or how far the cancer has spread, the age of the patient, his or her health status, and many other personal characteristics of the patient. There is no particular treatment for lung cancer, and patients often receive treatment which is a combination of palliative care and multiple therapies. The foremost of lung cancer treatment therapies include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The patient will also be exposed to therapies that have been recently developed which include gene therapy, hormone therapy, and also immunotherapy.

How to Play Happy Birthday on the Guitar

Learning to play simple and fun songs on the guitar is easy. Many of my students have learned how to play Happy Birthday in their first lesson. Follow the simple steps below to learn this song in just a few minutes.

Learning to Play the Notes

To play Happy Birthday on the guitar, you first must learn how to play an open string (no left hand fingers pressing the string down to the fretboard). To do so, position your right hand over the sound hole and strike the first string (thinnest string) either with the tip of your right thumb or with a pick held between your right thumb and the outside edge of your right index finger. (You can also pluck the string with one of your right hand fingers by hooking the tip of the finger under the string and then plucking the string to sound the note.) Say "0" each time you sound the note because that is the number for the note played when you play an open string.

Except for open string notes, playing all the other notes requires holding a string down at one of the frets with the tip of a left hand finger. Press the tip of your left thumb to the back of your guitar and arch your left hand fingers so that you roughly make a "C" shape between your thumb and index finger. With the tip of your index finger, practice pressing the first string down against the fretboard with your fingertip very near each of the first four frets (closest to the head of the guitar) but not touching each fret. As you press the string down at each fret, sound the note the same way you did for playing the string open. In order as you play these first four frets, say the numbers one through four because those are the numbers for each of these notes.

Once you have learned to hold the string down at the first four frets to play notes one through four, move up the neck of the guitar and do the same thing with the next four frets. Say the numbers five through eight as you play these notes. Finally, move again to the next four frets and practice sounding these notes. Say the numbers nine to twelve as you play them.

Counting the string played open, you now can play thirteen different notes on that string and say the number for each note as you play it! You now know all the notes for playing Happy Birthday on the guitar. Most guitars are marked with a dot on the fretboard at the fifth, seventh, and twelfth frets, so finding the right fret for each numbered note is not hard at all with just a little practice.

Playing the Song

You will now learn to play Happy Birthday on your guitar in four groups of notes. Use your ear to guide you about the right timing as you play each group of notes. Play the first group of notes (0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 5 - 4). Play the two open notes faster than the other notes. In fact, you will play the first two notes of each group faster than the other notes in each group.

Then play the second group (0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 7 - 5). The first four notes are the same as in the first group, so memorizing the first half of the song is easy.

Play the third group next (0 - 0 - 12 - 9 - 5 - 4 - 2). Finally, play the fourth group (10 - 10 - 9 - 5 - 7 - 5). Practice the song until you can play it smoothly on the first string. With just a little practice, you can easily learn how to play Happy Birthday on the guitar by following these steps!

Playing in Other Keys

Because you are playing by fret numbers, you can play this song on any of the strings. Except for the sixth string, which has the same notes at each fret as the first string does, playing Happy Birthday on the other strings changes the song to a different key. You have now learned how to play Happy Birthday on the guitar in five different keys!

The Yoga of Love

The Way of Love vs. the Way of Discipline

Let's compare the Way of Love to the way of self-discipline. Generally, spiritual seekers consider discipline--especially self-discipline--as the driving force of spiritual ascent. For example, we rely on discipline to focus the mind and the energy. And we work hard to overcome the lower tendencies of ego--or at least think we should. Discipline has a lot to be said for it, but friends, if you want to bring order to your life and focus the mind, love works much better than self-discipline.

These great things that we, as seekers, strive for -- focus, constancy, and well-ordered living -- are but inherent properties of love. Consider this: When people fall in love, that love starts to bring order to their lives, almost immediately. It happens on virtually every level. They quickly change everything in their life -- naturally and happily.

Everyone knows that focus is important in spiritual ascent. Well, when in love, the most scatterbrained persons suddenly become perfectly single-pointed--focused on the beloved.

There can be no question that constancy, too, is achieved through the power of love. The lower mind is naturally fickle. And obviously, that's why great effort must be made to discipline, direct, and re-direct the mind. It's like trying to control a herd of wild horses. But the true heart is naturally constant. When one really loves something, one is naturally attracted to that thing. One naturally focuses on that thing, and does not have to make an effort to stop the mind from wandering. Thus, when the heart is allowed to lead, the heart makes the mind constant.

So as you can see, the results of being in love duplicate, and even exceed, the results of disciplined attempts to put life in order. Love achieves the goals of ordinary self-discipline and traditional spiritual effort -- focus, constancy, bringing life into a perfect order -- completely naturally. Effortlessly. Happily. Ecstatically, even. And that is a claim that no ordinary self-discipline, of a traditional nature, can possibly make.

There is a value to self-discipline, certainly. But the kind of self-discipline that is a natural expression of love is most effective. The usual ego-styled approach to problem-solving is often so problematical, and so problem-focused, as to actually reinforce problems. In contrast, love solves problems by seeing/being beyond them. Effort is self-limited; love is Self-unlimited. Love moves mountains; effort moves molehills. Effort overcomes some little challenges; love conquers all.

Any life moved by love is well-focused, uplifting, careFull. Can there be any doubt that such a life is truly Godly? Indeed, since God is love, a life directed by love is Divinely directed -- and not egoically directed, or egoically "perfected."

So we see a real difference between that discipline which exists in reaction to the ego and that love which exists in response to life, and which is of one's own heart nature. They are two very different things. The usual spiritual effort is an act in relation to ego, embraced and performed by ego. The true Way is the Way of Love. It is a response to Divinity -- even as manifest in persons -- and it is a creative expression of Divinity.

The true and natural way of the heart

The Way of Love is quite natural to us -- not in the sense that the survival instinct is "natural," but in the sense that love is inherent to who we are. So we're speaking of heart nature. No sane person would claim to be hateful or evil at heart. "I am good and loving at heart," people say. And when we respond from the heart, as the heart, we see how true that statement is. Every heart is warmed by a love exchange, while it is bored by a mediocre exchange, and chilled by a hate exchange.

And the Way of Love is natural to us, because we already love! We love our own true Self, we love the true Self of all, and we love Divinity. Ask any person these questions, and you can verify this: "Do you love Divinity: Do you love your own indwelling Divinity, such as you have seen of it? And do you love the God that is, the Divinity of all?" Invariably, the answer is, "Yes, I love that." You see, whether we call it "God" or not, surely everyone knows -- both intuitively and through various kinds of experiences -- the beauty and the power of the Divinity that is, and the Divinity that they themselves are.

And then you ask, "Do you love egoic nature? Do you love egoic tendencies?" Now, when they think about that, and they consider the grief that ego has caused to them and others, the answer will invariably be, "Certainly not!" One cannot love it. It is not lovable!

So, when we point to the Way of Love as the true and natural way, we simply point to the honest truth of who you are and what you already feel: "I love that which is Divine, and I do not love that which is of ego." We do not point to something to be achieved. We point to a love that exists and persists in the heart. And we point to who you are -- you yourself, as you are, without any lies, or pretext, or distortions in relation to that. The one who you are loves as you love, and loves what you love. And, at the same time, the one who you are does not love what it cannot and does not love.

Once the existence and persistence of love is simply acknowledged, then love can be lived as a true and natural constancy. For as we have said, people naturally focus on what they love. And they naturally order their life as love asks them to. When we love, we don't have to make an arduous, self-disciplined effort to overcome all kinds of resistance. The nature of love takes care of that.

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places

Love is the most powerful thing in the world with enormous potential to give life. For all the power love holds, we still live in a world that is hungry for love. Everyone is looking for love. We look for love, think we have found it, and then find ourselves disillusioned when the feelings go away. Well what does real love look like anyway? What is the love we all need and want? How will we know when we've found it?

Depending on who's doing the talking and what is being expressed, love means different things to different people. Two people might commit themselves to love each other but have different ideas of what it really means. Some think of being in love as an unexplainable feeling that we fall in and out of, especially in today's society. Love can also mean a self-sacrificing action on behalf of others. Some use the word love to refer to a desire for a sexual relationship. Even in everyday conversation we use the word love to refer to a variety of things. For instance, I love music or I love my computer or I really love your hair like that.

Love can be a dangerous word because it can mean so many different things to different people it can end up meaning nothing at all. Love makes us vulnerable to being hurt, misunderstood, embarrassed, or taken advantage of. Some have been so hurt by elusiveness of love that they've given up on it, totally washed their hands of it.

I hope after reading this article and studying the scriptures for yourself that you will find love isn't so elusive after all. It might help us though to make a distinction between the different kinds of love before we proceed any further, then focus on the kind of Christian love the Holy Spirit produces or God's kind of love.

In the Greek language there are four words that describe this act of loving. I don't particularly care for Greek words because I don't speak Greek, but in this case it helps us to understand Christian love better.

The first is the Eros. It is from this word Eros that we get the word erotic and romantic. What it is basically is the chemical reaction between a male and a female. During the New Testament times this word Eros was associated with lust. Love on this level is usually self-centered.

The second word is Philia. Philia is the kind of human love that comes out because we appreciate the goodness of others. Sometimes we say I love him or her for what they did in my time of need, or for a community or country. It is not romantic. It is more gratitude, admiration and respect.

The third word for love is Storge. This is the love that is shared between family members, most of the time that is. Between spouses, brothers and sisters, parents and children. This love is often conditional on some kind of relationship.

And then there is Agape, the word the Bible uses and the word we are concerned about here. It is not the I love because I am loved love. Neither is it the I love you because I need you love. Agape is the kind of love Jesus showed on the cross. Forgiving those who were persecuting Him. This love is sacrificial, self-giving, and unmerited by the recipient.

It loves those who are hard to love. Agape is the hardest kind of love because it is loving those that we might feel don't deserve it, loving even when we know we won't get it in return. Its the kind of love that the Holy Spirit produces within us and allows us to do things that we cannot do by ourselves. No wonder Paul puts it at the beginning of the list of the Fruit of the Spirit.

One of the first steps in receiving and releasing God's kind of love is to recognize the difference between human love and a true God-kind of love. Man's corrupt nature doesn't have access to God's love. God is love and any man or woman who does not have God is separated from true love. Human love and God's love are not even in the same class. Basically, human love is selfish and God's love is totally unselfish. Human love says, I'll love you as long as you do what I want you to. God's love is unconditional.

First Corinthians 13:4-8 lists the characteristics of God's love. Few understand and appreciate how unique God's love really is. We relate God's love similarly to the way we've been loved. Our bad experiences prevent us from accepting God's love bringing Him down to our level thinking His love is conditional or proportional to our performance. That's how everyone else loves us, but God's love is different. Its like no other love you've ever experienced.

God's love never fails, even when we do. God's love is unconditional. We didn't do anything to deserve it and therefore, God doesn't withdraw His love when we don't deserve it. God loves us because He is love, not because we are lovable

Private Dog Parks: Can Be The Safe Choice

With an increasing number of serious incidents being reported at dog parks, I want to introduce the safe alternative that a well-run private dog park can provide. You will find that a properly designed and managed private dog park is a dramatically different experience than what you have read about or have witnessed in public parks. A privately run dog park can properly screen, staff and enforce park regulations. We do caution you that even with the information you will gain from this article, please know that any dog park is not regulated, so we encourage everyone to do their homework before visiting any dog park to ensure it is right for you and your dog.

The current trend is that community and homeowner associations are responding to community demand by setting aside a small plot of their land for a public dog park. Unfortunately these unmanaged and unregulated fenced areas often turn to that of neighbor confrontation, injury and horror, even with the best of intending groups and dog owners. Let's face it, without any oversight or enforcement, incidents are going to occur. Because I recognized the dangers in dog parks to the point that I would not take my dogs to one, I was motivated to devise the complex recipe for a safe off-leash dog park. Therefore; I conducted an in-depth investigation of many existing dog parks to establish the precise formula needed to create an off-leash haven.

I visited many, talked with visiting dog owners and observed many dog parks, both private and public. From my investigative travels and with my inherent understanding of dogs, I developed the complex operating matrix for a safe, off-leash dog park. Since that design work, we have successfully opened the first of our many private dog parks that thousands of qualifying dogs and their owners have already enjoyed. Our safety performance at the Royal Paws Dog Park & Doggie Day Camp facility speaks for itself with an impeccable safety performance and industry leading staffing ratio.

Benefits to your Dog with Off-Leash Exercise

The benefits to a dog at an off-leash dog park or any open area of land are immense. Unleashed running elevates heart rate, increases metabolism, improves gastrointestinal efficiency, and extends muscles and joints, all of which contributes to general overall fitness. It is known that maintaining such a healthy lifestyle for your loved dog will increase longevity and reduce risk of all associated conditions and diseases that obesity can cause. The experience for your dog in open field run is like no leashed exercise we can otherwise provide and the benefits will last a lifetime. When letting your dog run in an open field for exercise value, please consider that there are many risks to both you and your dog. You may be violating leash laws, the dog can track a scent or get lost, run into traffic or unwelcome neighborhood area, confront aggressive dogs or dangerous wildlife or foliage; which are all of the reasons as why I do not take my dogs to any open land without fences despite their excellent obedience.

In fenced area designated as a dog park, in addition to fitness improvement, your dog can enjoy benefits from the social interaction with the other dogs IF experienced without incident. The advantage for a dog that is well exercised and socialized benefit the dog, the owner and the community ONLY IF they have somehow avoided traumatic incident. Well exercised and socialized dogs are much less likely to contribute to neighborhood nuisances like chronic barking or showing aggression to other dogs.

If public parks could operate as well-run private dog park do, these benefits would be maintained. Unfortunately, many dog parks are not continuously regulated nor do they have the resources or knowledge to accurately screen the dogs; therefore, odds are that incidents will occur. Incidents like your dog being attacked by another dog or even being bullied by another dog can cause regression in social skills, cause behavioral issues, invoke fear aggression or cause physical injury or death. Following any incident at a public park, without a safe and regulated choice of private dog park that can best create positive experiences to overcome the impact of the incident, your dog may never physically or emotionally recover from the past trauma. The likelihood of good experiences for your dog in a well-managed private dog park is the reason that many loved dog owners everywhere chose private over non-regulated public parks.

Premise of a Safe Dog Park - It's Private

The advantages a private dog park has over any public dog park is the ability to secure more favorable, larger parcels of land, improved grounds maintenance, set dog health requirements, enforceable park rules, screening of appropriate tempered dogs and third party intervention. Beware though and do your homework about any private dog park you intend to visit. Just because they can do all of the above does not mean that they do! While it is integral that the private dog park has the ability to control all of the above to make visits to a well-managed private dog park enjoyable, the most important to me are the health and temperament screening and ability of park staff to intervene.

If you have read the actual details in the recent headline grabbing horror stories of incidents in dog parks, they almost always are a result from a dog being in the park that should not be or from uneducated/erroneous decisions made by visiting dog owners. Both of these should not occur if your private dog park is consistent in managing and operating the facility for the safety and enjoyment of all. With private dog parks operating as a business, financial success is always a consideration. So turning away visiting dogs equates to lost revenue, so unless the park is focused exclusively on maintaining a safe environment for all, a private park that is short-term financially driven can pose the same risks that a public park does.

The third party oversight ability of park staff to intervene is required to eliminate personality clashes and biased evaluation of situations and/or dog's behavior. So when the experienced screener determines the dog lacks the temperament so he/she can play with others, it is the park staff's responsibility to deal with the disappointed dog owner. Same intervention by park staff goes in the event a visiting dog owner does not abide by park rules or a dog plays too rough or violations of any other park code of behavior. You can imagine these discussions are difficult; however, by park staff entertaining such discussions it eliminates any personal intervention by visiting dog owners.

Telling a dog owner that their dog is not allowed or can no longer come to the park until troublesome behavior is removed is always difficult. However, it is critical that the staff of the private dog park you are intending to visit has the proper screening system, the diligence to comply and financial ability to effectively turn away the revenue for dogs that do not appear to be capable of socially interacting at such level to keep the park safe for all.

TOP LOCATIONS WHERE BUSINESS IS BOOMING

W​ith the coming of a New Year also comes the opportunity for new changes and innovations in the modern marketplace. It seems as though each year brings exciting advancements that exceed our expectations for how we can and should go about our day-to-day lives, and the opportunities for progress that are available to us. Along with new technologies and services, new careers and new business opportunities also develop over the course of time. For 2015, The UPS Store has investigated some of the most lucrative geographical areas for new careers and identified some of the top locations where business in America is booming this year. 

1.    New York Tri-State Area

Due to its sheer size, population density, and economic power, as well as its proximity to the country’s largest metropolitan center – New York City – the Tri-State Area offers some of the most attractive new careers and new business opportunities. The Bronx and Brooklyn are experiencing a particularly strong resurgence, while neighboring areas like Trenton, NJ are become cost-effective and economically beneficial alternatives to NYC.

2.    Pacific Northwest

The area’s low cost of living, rich history, and beautiful landscape continue to draw new residents, and new careers and new businesses and careers have emerged as a result. Cities like Yakima and Centralia in Washington have a small town feel with abundant opportunities in business, education, and healthcare sectors.

3.    South Atlantic

More booming areas for new business and new careers can be found just below our nation’s capital. Ranked among the top five states for business, Virginia has become a leading economic hub, particularly in areas near Northern Virginia and Richmond. Farther down, the community of Charlotte, NC continues to boom thanks to its southern charm and rapidly growing commercial activity. 

5 Pieces of Clothing That Could Change Your Life

Every so often, you come across an item that transcends “favorite” status and goes on to becomes a life changer. It could be the custom suit you wore when landing that job, the automatic watch your dad gave you, or just a pair of sweats so comfortable they made you never want to leave the house.

We see it as our duty to share some of our game-changing style staples so they might rock your world in the new year like they did for us. Here’s to changing things up. 

1. Reiss Made-to-Measure Suit

There’s nothing like trying on a custom suit for the first time. Buttoning a jacket cut to your body breathes new life into you in small, but cumulatively noticeable ways—better posture, a bigger smile, a more energetic stride.

If you don’t own one yet, be sure your first is in a neutral (read: dynamic) color and pattern like grey herringbone or navy glen plaid because you’ll reach for your made-to-fit suit over your off-the-rack ones every time. 

2. Alternative Lightweight French Terry Relaxed Pants
Here’s an upgrade your didn’t know you needed. French terry is a super-soft material made of thousands of tiny loops that will make your old college sweats feel like cardboard incomparison.This pair has a tapered leg that won’t sag throughout the thigh area.

Throw on your most colorful sneakers (not your gym shoes), and you have your in an outfit you can actually wear outside the house. Too bad you’ll be too cozy to leave your couch.

3. SWIMS Galoshes
The only thing worse than a dreary day is being stuck in rain boots. But don’t let the weather dictate your wardrobe. Just slip these galoshes over your favorite dress shoes before stepping out, and you’ll arrive dry and stylish.

They’re also collapsable, so you can stow them in tiny spaces. If you want to stand out even more, pick a bold print like camo. It’s a guaranteed conversation starter.

4. Filson Leather Briefcase
Every man needs a leather briefcase—a fact that's not completely evident until you own one. This super-durable bag with Filson’s signature all-leather details and tin cloth storm flap let people know you care a lot about your work, but you're not stuffy about it.

The leather looks better with every scratch and nick, and it'll look even better 20 years from now. 

5. Anonymousism Socks
Ever get excited for cold weather so you can wear your favorite sweater or slippers? That’s how we felt after slipping these chunky, knit bad boys on. They’re insanely comfortable all winter long, but you can wear them well into May. They’re easily "favorite sock" material. Wear them around the house or you can tuck slim pants into them while wearing boots.